Why Every Question Is Prevention

September is Suicide Prevention Month, but honestly, awareness can’t just live in one month. It has to be real, every day. That’s what inspired me to build The Lifeline Quiz™ — not as another lecture, but as an interactive way to sit with the hard questions and realize that prevention starts small.

I believe every question is prevention. Asking “Are you okay?” instead of assuming. Asking “Do you want to talk?” instead of staying silent. Asking “Have you heard about 988?” instead of keeping resources to yourself. Those questions aren’t small talk — they can open doors someone thought were locked forever.

When I look around at young people, especially my peers, I see two things at once: pain and potential. We’re carrying heavy stuff, but we’re also capable of lifting each other up if we’re taught how. That’s what this quiz is about. It’s not about getting every answer right — it’s about pausing long enough to say, “Wait, I matter, you matter, this conversation matters.”

I didn’t create this tool to be flashy. I made it to feel calm, beige, and zen — because suicide prevention doesn’t need to scare us into silence. It needs to feel safe enough to engage. If one student leaves this quiz ready to ask a brave question or listen without judgment, that’s prevention in action.

Knowledge saves lives, yes. But curiosity — the willingness to ask, to learn, to care — is what makes knowledge powerful. Every question counts. Every conversation could be the one that changes everything.